


unintended | phan

by levitatedlester



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Teacher Phil Lester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-18 02:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18240662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levitatedlester/pseuds/levitatedlester
Summary: dan is a motivational speaker and mental health ambassador that travels all over england speaking about mental health and his experiences with depression, phil is an english teacher that teaches at the next school dan is going to speak at. phil immediately is intrigued with dan so once he leaves, he stalks his twitter. how will that go? keep reading :)(lowercase intended)





	1. prologue

dan's introduction:

 

i've always liked being a motivational speaker. it gives me a chance to speak about about mental health and give kids a voice they didn't know they had. i love being able to do that. some kids may not care, and think i'm just another lame speaker, but that's fine with me. as long as i'm effecting someone. as long as i can potentially save somebody's life with my story and how i overcame everything. sure, sometimes i get really depressed again, but then i think of all of the other people out there that are just like me and that tomorrow is a new day that i get to help more people.

i'm also a traveling speaker. i travel all over england but i eventually want to speak in ireland, scotland, finland and germany. tomorrow i'm going to speak at a school in wokingham, where i grew up. i'm staying for a couple days and visiting my parents as i live in london now and don't get to see them often.

i like going to visit my parents because i live alone currently, and it gets super boring sometimes. it would be nice if i had a better time finding people who have the same interests as me. you would think being a motivational speaker i would meet people all over the place, but nope. sure i've met people, but never people that would be able to put up with me geeking out all the time and all of my depressive episodes. i'm hoping that one day i can find friends or even a girlfriend or boyfriend. maybe this school will have some interesting people, only one way to find out.

 

phil's introduction:

 

i love being a teacher. i love being able to teach and seeing kids' faces light up when they finally understand a concept. it gives me a sense of pride that i'm able to make another human being become smarter. you would think it's not that fun having to grade a bunch of papers and put up with over twenty high school kids everyday, but i find ways to make it fun. it helps that i'm one of the best teachers at the school, not to brag or anything. the kids like me because of friendly i am, and how i don't give homework. i think homework it kind of a weird thing because kids do enough work at school, why give them more at home when they're supposed to be relaxing? that's how i see it.

motivational speakers come in all the time to this school. it's usually anti-bullying speakers telling kids to speak up if they're being bullied. but tomorrow, we have a mental health ambassador coming in to talk to my class. i'm really interested to hear what he has to say because he's young, early twenties, which gives him more of a voice over the kids because not long ago he was in the same position as them, which i think is amazing.

being a motivation speaker must be exhausting, having to travel everywhere and such. hell, even being a teacher is exhausting. he must meet so many people along the way. i never really meet people though, aside from the people i work with. i want to be more out there and have friends or even a boyfriend one day but i just don't know how. oh well. maybe someday i can find my prince like in all of those fairy tales, all of those girls just so happen to meet the prince unexpectedly. why can't the same happen to me? i think the odds are about even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is basically just a summary of their lives up until the events of the actual plot so enjoy uwu


	2. 1

dan's pov:

 

beds are so nice and snugly. staying all warm and wrapped up in blankets all day is the best feeling, but today is not one of those days. another day, another school. not that i don't like going to schools, it's literally the highlight of my life having a kid come up to me and telling me that my speech really meant something to them. with that in mind, i finally roll out of bed around seven thirty. for some weird reason, i feel like today is going to be different, i feel like something is going to happen.

i get dressed in one of my many black jumpers, this one in particular has red roses embroidered down the sleeves, and pair it with some black skinny jeans and black sneakers, can you tell i have a style? i don't even bother with my hair anymore, as it's gone back into its curly state for good and cannot be fixed. i used to straighten my hair everyday up until about a year ago, it was too much work and i'm way too lazy for that.

i grab my bag with my water, notes, phone, earbuds, charger and other essential things and i'm out the door. i was running a bit late so i figured i could just grab something from a vending machine at the school. as i'm driving there, i get sucked into a train of thought. maybe today won't be different and i'm just exaggerating. i hope not. i really need something more exciting in my life. not that i don't love doing this, but sometimes it feels like the cycle is never going to break. i wake up, get ready, go to a school, speak, change some lives, go home, eat, then sleep and it repeats itself unless i have to travel somewhere. it's funny, i say change some lives like it's no big deal, but it is a big deal. i get to steer kids away from their problems and point them in the right direction. it should never get old to me, but after doing it for a long time, i feel like i need some sort of change. and i'm not saying i'm going to quit motivational speaking, i just need something else.

i don't know though, maybe i'm just being dramatic.

before i know it, i'm at the school already. getting out of the car, i start to feel a weird sense of anxiety. i start to feel a bit nervous even though i've done this a billion times before. walking into the school seems different than before, maybe this will be my change. maybe something new will finally happen. again, it might just be me being dramatic, but walking down those halls feel very different and i can't explain why, because i don't even know myself. i'm looking around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary for a high school: posters, trophy cases, classroom doors, lockers, students strewn about. so what's so different?

i don't figure it out until i find the classroom i'm looking for. class #307. there's a steel name plate on the door that says ' _mr. lester'._ i must be in the right place, i think to myself. i open the door and the room is completely dark. no lights on or even people in there. granted, it's still pretty early and the bell hasn't rang yet, but i figured at least the teacher would be in there. i walk in and turn some lights on, after sliding my hand all around the wall to find the light switch.

the classroom is typical. desks in rows with a chalkboard at the front with the teacher's desk slightly off to the side. this was an english class, so i was expecting there to be some sort of vocabulary posters around, but it was mostly those motivational posters you would see in a guidance councilor's office, the one's with the cat hanging off the branch that say stupid stuff like 'hang in there!' and 'you can do it!'. i wander around a bit longer and see that on the teacher's desk, there were some anime figures and other little keychains and such strewn about. the mikasa figure immediately caught my eye. i picked it up and admired it, attack on titan is one of my all time favorite anime, so maybe that was something i could talk to this teacher about.

just as i was admiring the mikasa figure, i hear the door creak open. my eyes dart up to see someone standing there. he had black hair swooped up into a quiff, black glasses, and the most beautiful blue eyes i had ever seen. he was wearing a black short-sleeved button up with write polka dots and black skinny jeans. this must be mr. lester.

i felt my face heat up when he looked down and saw that i was holding one of his figures.

"you like attack on titan?" was the first thing he said. i didn't really process what he said for a few moments so i just stood there blushing like an idiot and staring at him.

"u-um, yeah. it's my favorite anime. you?" i responded with a shaky voice, setting the figure back down on his desk. he smiled, and not one of those fake smiles like he felt bad for me, but a genuine smile. the kind that could light up a whole room. he chuckled and asked

"why are you so nervous? don't you do this all the time? speak at schools? you seem a bit shaky." i blushed even harder and looked off to the side.

"yeah i guess, i honestly have no idea why i'm so nervous. i guess it's just some jitters, i'll be fine though." i said, laughing lightly. why am i blushing so hard? i really need to get a grip. i cleared my throat and walked closer to him.

"i'm assuming you're mr. lester, then? because you seem way too mature to be a student." i asked, smiling and putting my hands in my hoodie pocket. when i got closer to him, i realized his eyes weren't just blue, they had tinges of green in them and it even looked like some yellow spots, which just made them even more beautiful and interesting. he chuckled once again and looked me straight in the eyes

"yes, but you can call me phil. and trust me, i'm far from mature, probably the most childish adult you'll ever meet. and i assume you're daniel howell, then?" i jumped slightly when he used my full name, but then i remembered that it was my full name on the charity website, so that's probably all he knew.

"uh, yeah, but you can call me dan." i responded, my eyes trailing back to his desk. i walked back over and picked up the mikasa figure once more.

"so mikasa is your favorite?" i asked

"no, levi is my favorite but they were sold out of levi figures. i just opted for mikasa because she was the last one." he replied, smiling and seeming happy to find someone witht he same interests.

"i'm more of a levi guy myself." i said, smiling back at him. he went to open his mouth to say more, but then the bell rang. i set the figure down and walked back over to him.

"i guess we'll have to talk more about anime later then?" i asked, attempting to be flirty but failing miserably. he smiled

"i guess so. you're here for the whole day, then?" he asked, crossing his arms

"yep, staying in the class i think as well, so maybe we can talk between classes then?" i responded, mocking his movements and crossing my arms.

"i guess so. good luck on your speech, daniel." he added, going back to his desk and sitting down, sipping his coffee. i blushed when he said my full name once again. i went to retort, but then the students started filing into the classroom so i kept my mouth shut. phil chuckled as i walked over to the other side of the room, by the door and waiting for everyone to come in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! next one should be up in a couple days


	3. 2

phil's pov:

 

i've made up my mind. daniel howell is even better looking in real life. his pictures were nice but in real life, it just doesn't add up. it made me kind of sad when he told me he was nervous to do his speech, so i tried cheering him up, but i don't think that worked either. right now, he's waiting for all of the students to file in so he can begin. after a few minutes of sitting at my desk admiring him, i stood up and walked in front of everybody.

i could tell they were all excited as well, but maybe that's just because they get to skip a class.

"alright everybody! as you all know, today we have someone here to speak to you about mental health. he's the mental health ambassador for a charity called youngminds. everyone give a warm welcome to dan howell!" i introduced, my hands gesturing to dan. he seemed a lot more confident now, which was good. maybe he just didn't know what to expect. everyone clapped and smiled when he came to the front of the room, which made me happy. i watched dan as he didn't start talking yet, he just grabbed an empty desk from the back and brought it to the front and sat on it, his feet on the chair.

"there we go, nice and comfy. i don't like standing when i do these, too much effort." he explained, getting a laugh from everyone. i smiled as i leaned against the back wall, arms crossed.

"let me tell you a bit about myself. as you all know, my name is dan howell, i'm a mental health ambassador and a social media influencer, well if you can call tweeting at three in the morning and posting self deprecating things on instagram being an influencer." he added, making everyone laugh once again, which made him smile.

"but we're not here to talk about me. we're here to talk about something even better, mental health awareness. i've been struggling with depression ever since i was a teenager and let me tell you, being sad once is not the same as depression. depression is being constantly sad or down. it feels like the whole world is desaturated, and you may not even feel sad, maybe just down. i've met kids who have told me that they didn't even know they were depressed until i came to their school because they never had a fine definition of it, they just thought it meant being sad all the time, but that's not all that it is. when people say 'oh no, i'm so depressed right now' they're probably lying. because most people with depression don't come out and say it. they tend to keep to themselves because they don't want people to worry about them. but of course i can't speak for all depressed people, just me and everyone else i've met over the course of being a motivational speaker. now, there's your simpler definition of depression, i could sit here all day talking to you going deeper into what depression is, but then i would be a psychiatrist, not a motivational speaker." i smiled at that part. wow, i didn't think he would go that in depth in the first five minutes. i can tell this is going to be an interesting day.

he continued talking about how it's important for kids to tell someone about their depression because they shouldn't be struggling alone, which i could try and re-tell, but i would never do as good of a job as he did. now, he's on a spiel about cyberbullying and i couldn't be more immersed. i don't even have depression, but i understand everything he's saying so well.

"when you're online, it's so much easier to insult people, but just because it's easy for you doesn't mean that it's easier for the other person to take. in fact, it might even be harder for them. even before you start typing, you need to take into consideration three things: what is their past like? you have no idea what kind of baggage this person could be carrying around. what are their triggers or what do they get most upset at? anything you say could trigger someone's bad memories. and would they take your words literally? some people are tough as nails and nothing bothers them. but there are some people out there who might not think that you're joking, and you need to consider all of that before even setting your fingers on your keyboard because that is incredibly important." he explained, using motions and hand gestures to further his point. 

_wow, is he good at explaining things._

the students looked so immersed as well. usually when we have a motivational speaker in, there are a few kids who just doodle and aren't paying attention but everyone is paying full attention to dan, which makes me even more happy.

every so often, i would catch dan glancing at me while he was talking, and when i would smile at him, he would blush and momentarily lose his train of thought. 

_cute,_ i thought to myself.

~~~

the first period was over, meaning it was time to organize another group of kids so i could listen to dan again. i didn't even really care if dan's speech was the same everytime, it was so immersive i could listen to it all day.

wow, i'm really pathetic, aren't i? developing a crush on someone i'll most likely never see again. oh well, maybe i'm just desperate at this point.

right now, it's between two periods, which means dan and i have 10 minutes alone in the classroom. as soon as the last student left, i started to get a little nervous. sure, we had a good conversation before, but that was before i had heard what he had to say.

before i knew it i was walking over to him.  _what are you doing, phil? you're so stupid!_ i was already standing behind him, so i just decided to tap him on the shoulder. he was immersed in his notes so it kind of startled him when i tapped him. he spun around to look at me.

"oh, it's just you." he sighed in relief.

"what do you mean, 'just me' you should bow in my presence." i said sarcastically, crossing my arms. i was slightly taller than him so it was kind of funny when he tried to look tougher by going up on his tiptoes.

"pardon me sir, i didn't know you were considered royalty around here." he retorted, mimicking my actions and crossing his arms, still on his tiptoes.

i laughed. "i am. i've been told by many of my students that i was their favorite teacher."

dan smiled and shook his head, then turned back around to gather his papers up. "well excuse me then, mr. lester i had no idea you were such a high power."

"i really liked your speech." i blurted, immediately regretting it. i uncrossed my arms and put them in my jeans pockets. dan spun his head around to look at me, his face red, then turned back to his papers.

"well that's good. because you'll have to be hearing it for the rest of the day." he said back, laughing lightly. i smiled. 

"i have no problem with that." 

 


End file.
